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ABOUT US

About Us

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The Peacock tradition in the mortuary business dates back more than a century, and more than 8 decades here in Southeast Colorado.


 It all started with two brothers. One, a grocery storeowner, the other a furniture store owner who was the mortician in the small Kansas town of Stafford. At the turn of the century it was not uncommon that the local mortician had the furniture store as well, where caskets were shown along with other furnishings. This 'undertaker' brother constantly called upon the grocery store owner for assistance. Soon they became partners.


 In 1906, Clay Peacock's great grandfather, A.B. "Alva" Peacock, graduated from Kansas City College of Mortuary Science. Alva's brother had graduated from the same school in 1886. Years later, A.B. established the first funeral home and furniture store in Protection, Kansas. Alva's two sons, Jack and Ralph continued the funeral business tradition with Jack remaining in Protection and Ralph eventually starting a funeral home in Elkhart, Kansas.


In 1913, Ralph Peacock, Clay's grandfather, followed his father's example by graduating from KCCMS. After gaining his certificate, he operated the Peacock mortuary in Elkhart, Kansas. During the depression years and dust bowl days of the 30's Elkhart's population drastically decreased and in 1936, Ralph Peacock moved his family to LaJunta, Colorado where he opened the Peacock Memorial Chapel.


 In 1947, Clay's father R.E. "Sam" Peacock graduated from St. Louis College of Mortuary Science and returned to LaJunta to assist his father in the family business. After several years in LaJunta, Sam moved his family to Lamar, Colorado in 1973 to operate the Dolsen Almont mortuary. Clay Peacock graduated from San Francisco College of Mortuary Science in March of 1983. It was July of 1983 that the Peacock's purchased Wood-Gamble Funeral Home. The funeral home was established by the late Dean Wood in 1947.


Clay graduated from Lamar High School with the class of 1977. Went on to Garden City Community College in Garden City, KS on a baseball scholarship where he earned an Associates Degree and then to Missouri Western State College in St. Joseph, MO where he continued playing baseball while earning his Bachelor Degree in Psychology in 1982. Clay is married to Brenda and together they have seven children; Malea, Alyssa, Alex and Tessa, Adam, Ryan and Mikayla as well as 6 grandchldren.


Besides Clay, his brother, Curtis Peacock owns and operates their grandfather's funeral home, Peacock-Larsen Funeral Home and Arkansas Valley Crematory in LaJunta.

Cassie Esparza

Cassie began employment with Peacock Funeral home in October of 2007.

On May 19, 2022, Cassie was awarded her certificate from the Colorado Funeral Directors Association after a 6 year internship to become a certified funeral director and certified embalming technician.

As many of you know, Cassie has been employed at the funeral home for close to 15 years and has shown great dedication to the families we serve.

Thank you Cassie for everything you do for me and our communities. Well deserved!

She is a lifelong resident of Lamar who attended school at Lamar High School and has an Associates of Science Degree from Heritage College in Denver. She was united in marriage on March 3, 2014 to Jonathan Esparza and has four children, Destiny, Ebony, London and Landon, the family resides in Lamar. She loves to travel, spend time with her family and most of all she enjoys watching her kids in their many activities. 

 

For over 135 years, the Peacock Family has been helping families in southeast Colorado and southwest Kansas at the most difficult times in their lives. Our history, our family tradition, embraces the concept of "one family caring for another" in a time of need. Today, that tradition continues at the Peacock Funeral Home. Our pledge for four generations of trust and service has always been to provide caring, professional, personalized service, treating every family member we serve as we would our own loved ones...one family to another.

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